1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of computer networks and more particularly to the Internet and World-Wide Web (WWW or simply, the Web) networks.
2. Description of Related Art
The Internet is a network of computers and computer networks linked worldwide. The Web is a service that provides graphical links among the computers in the Internet. This is accomplished with the HyperText Markup Language (HTML) that provides the functionality for creating user-friendly links among Web pages. Users of the Web employ Web browsers such as Netscape and Mosaic to browse the Web.
Many Web browsers have the capability to accept certain pieces (one or more packets) of information called cookies from Web sites visited. Cookies are transmitted by Web servers to the user (client) so that they are stored by the Web browser in the user""s computer and read back by the server on subsequent visits by that user. The cookie is automatically transmitted by the user""s computer to the server on subsequent visits to that site. Servers can collect information about the user including product or site preferences or other personal information provided by the user, and write that information or an access key to that information into the cookie. Thus, the Web server can tailor the content presented to the user based on those preferences. All of this can be done transparently to the user. Cookies serve the purpose of identifying users and their preferences to Web sites over multiple visits to that site.
While many Web users do not mind receiving cookies, others do not like them, viewing them as invasive intruders and hence those users disable their browsers"" ability to receive or process cookies. Moreover, some Web browsers do not support them at all. However, many sites have infrastructure that is designed to work with cookies and which would not operate fully or at all when the site is visited by users with non-cookie enabled browsers. Therefore there is a need for a method and system to overcome the above shortcomings in the art. In particular, it is highly desirable to overcome these shortcomings without requiring extensive reprogramming of the Web site""s applications.
In a computer network including one or more servers and one or more user units, at least some of which present graphical user interfaces, a method for a server to communicate with at least one of the user units, comprising the steps of:
receiving an access request from one of the user units, the user unit including a network browser;
determining whether the access request received originated from a cookies capable or cookies enabled network browser; and
simulate and proxy cookies support at the server, on behalf of the network browser, at the server when it is determined that the access request received originated from a non-cookies capable or non-cookies enabled network browser (for convenience, both of these kinds of browsers will be called xe2x80x9cnon-cookies capablexe2x80x9d browsers hereafter).